Research - Illinoisans for Affordable Rx

 
 
Pharmacy & Prescription Drug Research

2021 Consumer Prescription Drugs Survey: Pricing, Accessibility & Legislative Action

A recent consumer survey of over 1,000 adults showed that a plurality of respondents, regardless of age and location, believe that drug manufacturers set unreasonable prices for the drugs they develop.

Access to quality pharmacies is not an issue for many Americans: 86% of consumers find it easy to get their prescription drugs at a pharmacy and have access to nearly three pharmacies within a 10-minute drive.

Nearly 8 in 10 people believe that independent pharmacies should receive the same government oversight as chain pharmacies if they are involved in government-funded and administered programs like Medicaid and Medicare.

When it comes to the government inserting itself in the pharmacy business, the majority of consumers do not think independent pharmacies need government handouts to increase their profits.

New Research Highlights PSAO Role in Supporting Independent Pharmacies

Independent pharmacies are important parts of our communities, but that doesn’t mean their owners should be able to pad their profits through increased regulations and unnecessary mandates. The independent pharmacy lobby claims store numbers are dwindling rapidly. But that's not true. New pharmacy data reveals that the overall number of independent pharmacy stores increased over the past decade in the United States. There are 2,645 more independent pharmacies than there were in 2011, almost a 13% increase over 10 years.  
A vast majority of independent pharmacies hire powerful pharmacy services administrative organizations (PSAOs) to negotiate prescription drug costs on their behalf and help them run their business. Despite having a “mom & pop” reputation, nearly 83% of independent pharmacies have the backing of heavy-weight, unregulated PSAOs to negotiate contracts with other parties in the pharmaceutical supply and payment chain. 
More specifically, PSAOs help independent pharmacies:

Consult on pharmacy network contracts

Negotiate reimbursements from the PBM to the pharmacy

Perform back-office operations  

It’s time our elected officials implement the same level of reporting requirements to PSAOs as they do for other entities in health care.